Jungkook then hoisted Lisa from the ground, making her exclaim in surprise.
“Ju-jungkook!”
“Stay still. I know you are exhausted.”
“P-put me down! I can walk!”
Jungkook stubbornly carried her up the stairs, pretending not to hear a word of what she said. Upon reaching the top, a large hall covered with reddish-brown carpets greeted them. The path leads to a large oak door. Jungkook walked across the hall and suddenly stopped in front of the wooden doors. He gently put her down, steadying her with one hand, and pushed the massive entrance open with the other.
“I hope this room is more to your taste…” he quietly said.
Lisa looked around the room curiously, walking over the spacious bed in the center. It was a neat and cozy square. In the middle of the room was a wooden column holding up the ceiling, ancient-looking glyphs inscribed on it. Large, arched windows framed one side of the room, and on the opposite side, a fireplace burned brightly with a warm fire.
Running her hands along the veil hanging off the side of the bed, she discovered that the luxurious bed frame was made of cherrywood. Thick layers of wool blankets were carefully piled on top. The servants must have paid particular attention to this room.
“You think it’s shabby, don’t you?” Jungkook asked with a worried look on his face. Lisa looked at him, bewildered and self-conscious.
He grabbed her hand and groaned, “Curse it! And the servants tried so hard…”
“What? Oh, no! W-what a beautiful room. This ca-astle is wonderful…and the bed is beautifully prepared.”
“You don’t have to lie to me. Did you forget that I recently visited the Croix caste? Compared to your father’s fortress, this is more like a fucking barn.”
Lisa felt horror. “No! That’s not true…”
Lisa tried to find the right words to appease him, but Jungkook’s facial expression remained twisted. Perhaps he thought she was only speaking empty words to satisfy him in this situation. She blamed herself again; not once could she say the right thing. When she hesitated, unable to find the proper words, Jungkook shook his head and looked equally embarrassed.
“Well… it’s the madam’s job to adorn this place, anyway. When the lord is away, it becomes the job of the lady of the house to manage the castle.”
“I…I apologize.”
“Curse it! What I want to say is… what if we design this place your way? I have enough gold, so you can buy whatever you like. You can even demand craftsmen for ornaments of your fancy. If you want to buy expensive textiles and silver, that’s fine too. I will pay for all the expenses… for the things you want.”
Lisa was surprised by his bold suggestion. She was ignorant of what to expect and what she should do as his wife.
Jungkook continued to speak in a slightly excited tone. “Women like to beautify things, right? You can hire seamstresses and craftsmen to aid you that it won’t be too much of a chore.”
Lisa saw the enthusiasm on his face and felt cold sweat run down her back. Her grandmother had tried to teach her what a noblewoman should do and how she should manage her husband’s domain, but Lisa hadn’t paid attention because she never thought she would have the chance to use the advice. Theoretically, books told her what needs to be done, but there was never a moment to put it into practice… until now.
Lisa wasn’t entirely confident that she would be able to do it.
“You don’t want to?”
When Lisa didn’t answer him, Jungkook squinted his eyes. She shook her head, nervously. Not only did she fear to utter the words she loathed decorating… but even worse was that he would discover she was ill-informed on such matters, and how she was not suited for a lady’s job.
Lisa realized she didn’t want to say anything that would make Riftan think less of her.
After several days of traveling together, Lisa had noticed that Jungkook had no idea of how she was treated in Croix Castle. He firmly believed that Lisa was a highly educated lady who was used to luxury and pampering. He would do his best to treat her in the manner to which she was accustomed.
With such misunderstanding, Lisa became increasingly anxious. She suddenly grasped that he had likely taken this belief from her father. The Duke of Croix had hidden her away in the depths of the castle so that no one would know his daughter had a stutter. Doing so, he wanted people to believe it was an act to protect his sick child. And in time, she became known as a sickly noblewoman whom the Duke pampered.
From his actions, it was perchance that Jungkook believed in that rumor.
Lisa didn’t understand why the illusion hadn’t been broken when he could now see with his own eyes that she was not well educated and was a rather insignificant woman… but she wanted to continue living in the illusion as long as possible. She knew she would be upset the moment he discovers the truth.
It would be too unfair, shameful, and even brutal, to suffer for three years on the battlefield, only to find out that the woman you had just married was a fake and not at all what or whom you had imagined.
His attitude towards himself would surely change.
Lisa apprehensively clasped her hands. She felt terrible just imagining that Jungkook might despise her or, even worse, feel sorry for her. Knowing it was disgraceful, she still wanted him to think of her as that sophisticated noblewoman for a bit longer.
Lisa nodded awkwardly, instead of telling him that she didn’t know how to manage servants, or that she had never spent a lot of money to buy things, and that she had never learned how to handle such a grand castle… she would stretch the lie for today.
“If-if you want…”
Jungkook’s face instantly relaxed and became noticeably brighter.
“I’ll tell the butler to give you the books right away. Don’t worry about how much it will cost. You can purchase to your heart’s content.”
Jungkook gently stroked her tousled hair with his fingers.
“This… is your home now.”
Your home. Such unexpected words pierced Lisa’s heart painfully, and she almost stopped breathing. Her heart pounded against her chest. Maybe he didn’t mean anything by it, that it was just something he said in passing or a strange whim.
Whatever it was, Lisa didn’t want to dwell on it.
“I… I’ll make it as cozy as possible… for us.”
“All right.” The good man gave her a satisfied smile. The next moment, he gently pressed his lips over her cheek, and Lisa shook her head awkwardly. She was suddenly aware of how it was only the two of them in the bedroom. Not having a proper shower or change in a few days, Lisa was swiftly conscious of her image. She gently pushed him away.
“Ah, I-I… want to take a b-bath…”
“Of course.”
He turned his head and said, “I’ll tell the maids to come and prepare the bath.”
Then he went out and ordered the servants to bring warm water for the bath and a fresh change of clothes for her. Lisa took off her disheveled cloak and placed it carefully at the chair in the corner. After a while, four maids came into the room with large wooden tubs. While hot water was being poured on the large basin, Jungkook took off his armor and laid it on the table.
“I’ll call you if we need anything else. Please make sure we have something to eat after the bath.”
“Yes, lord. I’ll put your clothes right here.”
As the maids went outside, Jungkook threw the tunic stained with sweat and dust over his head. Then he swiftly untied his pants. Lisa panicked and turned around, but Jungkook walked to her and started to unknot the straps of her dress.
“Ju, Jungkook!”
“Let’s bathe together,” his voice suddenly sounded husky in her ears.
Lisa shuddered at the touch of his hands on her bare back. He combed her messy hair with his hands and laid it over one shoulder to reveal her slender neck.
And then, his tongue was over her skin.
“You taste salty…”
“D-don’t! I’m dirty…”
Despite her protest, Lisa’s shoulders relaxed as his soft lips traced kisses on the back of her neck. He turned her body around to face him, but she couldn’t look at his naked body and closed her eyes. There was a bizarre, new sensation she felt, and she was mortified of it.
“Can you please stop looking at me like that?” He said, lifting her chin with one hand.
“I am aware I am not as elegant or slender as the son of a distinguished noble, but… I’m not that terrible…”
“Oh, you’re not terrible! Not at all!”
Lisa opened her eyes in disbelief. There was a look of despair on Jungkook’s orbs glancing down at her. His black pupils reminded her of a wild, but a desolate animal.
Is this man truly not aware of his beauty? It made no sense!
“I-I’m just not used to this,” she said, wanting to break the misinterpretation.
“It’s normal for couples… to bathe together,” Jungkook said in a low voice.
“Normal…?”
“In all the castles I’ve visited, all the lords and their ladies bathed together.”
Jungkook then grinned and pulled down the bodice of her dress. She was about to ask him how he knew that, but she shuddered when she felt the cold air touch her skin. The warmth of the fireplace gently enveloped her sensitive body.
“It’s not strange at all.” He continued, “There exists a custom in the north. Whenever a nobleman or a knight visits, they must bath with the castle’s hostess.”
He gently rubbed her shoulders in persistent effort to persuade her. Lisa’s eyes opened wide.
“D-do I have to do that…?” she said.
“Oh… no.”
A beautiful but terrifying smile spread across Jungkook’s face.
“If anyone else ever asked you of that, I would make him bathe in the Stemnu river… You only need to think about me. Come here…”
Jungkook put his muscular arms around her waist and hoisted her gently into the bathtub with him, water spilling onto the floor upon their descent. Lisa hugged her knees close to her body, trying to hide her nakedness with futile efforts. Jungkook brazenly sat down with his naked body openly displayed to her, as if he was a man who didn’t know what shame was.
“Is it too hot?” he asked.
“I-it’s fine.” she hurriedly answered.
Lisa sat with her knees bent up to her chin to avoid touching his long legs. Looking at her efforts on distancing themselves, Jungkook grabbed her by the arm and sat her on his lap.
Lisa immediately cried in surprise, “Ju-jungkook!”
“I’ll wash you.” He simply said, reaching out for the soap on the shelf.
Lisa urgently tried to get up from his lap, but Jungkook had his arms wrapped around her waist like a snake. He began to lather soap over her shoulders and neck slowly.
“I-I’ll do it!”
“You can wash me too. If you like.”